It doesn’t get more FEST-ive than this week’s conversation with an entrepreneur who started out as a maker with a namesake jewelry brand and went on to found what’s fast becoming the go-to place for girls to learn about 3D design and printed products.

Listen to Suz’s story for proof that the best paths are rarely linear, how a personal struggle in her life made it the exact right time to throw everything into her business and hear her strategies for dealing with rejection and failure. Here’s betting she inspires you and then some.

A metalsmith trained at one of the top art schools in the country, Suz went on to launch an eponymous jewelry company. As you’ll hear her say on the show, she turned to 3D printing to help create pieces that she was struggling to make by hand.

When she was accepted as a non-student participant in a program at the University of Virginia’s iLab, she thought she’d be working on continuing to grow her jewelry company. She was soon building an entirely new business altogether, one that would eventually lead her to her current home base in San Francisco, where KiraKira is currently preparing to open its first physical maker space to complement its online video trainings and maker kits. It’s all part of KiraKira’s plan to bring 3D design education and enthusiasm for 3D printing to an audience far beyond the fans its online platform.

Keep reading for all the important links from this episode below.

This episode brought to by PressDope, the affordable alternative to traditional PR and media relations made with care for socially-responsible fashion brands by the Spirit of 608.

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